


See Like Me

by kashmir



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-23
Updated: 2008-05-23
Packaged: 2017-10-09 02:24:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/81948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kashmir/pseuds/kashmir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Rodney's world view is skewed, Ronon reads Greek tragedies, Teyla starts hanging out in the labs and John pouts (a little).</p>
            </blockquote>





	See Like Me

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'ed by [unamaga](http://archiveofourown.org/users/unamaga) \- all the best lines are hers. &lt;3

The first time it happens, little Kanaan is barely two months old. They're all still on stand-down from off-world missions; Teyla obviously because of the baby and her ordeal at Michael's hands, the rest of the team needing 'R&amp;R,' as John put it, from frantically combing the galaxy for Teyla to bring her home.

Teyla starts to haunt Rodney's labs a bit more, watching him work, the baby sleeping sound in this complicated wrap of material Rodney thinks might defy the laws of Physics because he can't see any way that it could possibly hold the baby's weight. Usually when he starts in on this, John will roll his eyes and Rodney will huff, adding he's only concerned for the baby. John will then usually raise an eyebrow and ask Rodney if he honestly thinks Teyla would carry Kanaan in something that was unsafe which, of course, leaves Rodney sputtering and John grinning.

Really, Rodney thinks, he should know better by now.

Rodney actually doesn't think it's that odd that Teyla is spending more time in his labs now than in the previous four years they've all lived in Atlantis. If he's honest with himself, it feels good to be able to look up from a rather difficult equation and spot Teyla sitting in a corner, baby in her lap, as she sings softly to him, an old Athosian lullaby that soothes something in even in Rodney's cranky soul.

If he's being _really_ honest with himself - which usually only happens late at night or under the influence of that damn Athosian wine - it's nice to know the team is all in (relatively) one spot again. That they are, for the moment, safe and together and healthy.

Teyla's been hanging around, watching Rodney work for about a month when she does it the first time. She's digging idly through a box of broken or 'dead' Ancient devices; Rodney heard her mention something to Ronon the night before at dinner about making some sort of mobile so he thinks that might be what she's doing, looking for interesting shapes and colors to catch the baby's eye.

What she does instead, though, nearly makes Rodney fall off his chair.

He's distracted all morning, arguing with Radek about their latest calculations on minimizing ZedPM power drainage and then John wandered in with a question about 'Jumper 4, whose nav system had been on the fritz lately and then suddenly, it was well past two in the afternoon and Rodney was starting to feel a bit peckish.

He sits down heavily at his work station, digging around for a power bar or three, and fires up his laptop to get back to the ZedPM calculations. He's happily munching away on a peanut butter snack (his favorite flavor) when he notices Teyla standing at his elbow. He turns to at her and she smiles back, holding out her hand, a small Ancient device resting in her palm. Rodney looks at it, vaguely recognizing it as something that John had declared broken the last time he'd been playing human light switch, and plucks it out of Teyla's hand to tell her just that.

Except as soon as Rodney touches it, it lights up, emitting sounds much like one would hear at a carnival or fair, the lights corresponding with the musical tones. Rodney can't tell what use it might be or what exactly it _is_, but frankly, he's just amazed that Teyla had apparently fixed it without any sort of plans or help or... anything.

"What - but - how did you - I -" he sputters, half-standing, to which Teyla only smiles and grabs his shoulders, steadying him and touching their foreheads together before softly running a hand over Kanaan's head.

"It is not uncommon for close friends and family to have depths even they keep hidden from one another, Rodney. Now, I believe it is time for little ones to nap." She turns and heads towards the door before calling back over her shoulder. "I will see you at dinner, Rodney."

Rodney nods weakly even thought she can't see him, and manages a tiny, "Hidden depths."

...

Two weeks later, the team is still on stand-down and Teyla is still haunting the labs. She's fixed quite a few of the Ancient devices that both Rodney and Radek had written off as irreparable, shown a decided interest in Particle Physics, is starting to ask if she can help runs simulations, and has managed to wrangle a laptop out of an unknown someone for herself.

In short, she's wreaking havoc with Rodney's sense of equilibrium and his world view.

One day, as Radek and Teyla stand in the corner of Rodney's favorite lab, working out an equation on one of the white boards, John swings by to see if Rodney wants to grab lunch. Rodney is so distracted he doesn't notice John is standing there until John waves a hand in front of his face, chuckling as he asks, "Hey, McKay, didja hit your head or something?"

Rodney snaps into focus and straightens up a bit, looking John in the eye. "No, I did not, Colonel. I'm just... I just..." He fades off, gaze drawn back to where Radek and Teyla were now crowing with delight, having solved the problem. Rodney turns away again and leans towards John, who leans back, putting an elbow down on the table, his expression amused.

"I - I'm not sure what's going on. Have I lost my touch? It scares me," he confides in a whisper. Just then, Teyla comes over and smiles, hands clasped behind her back as she rocks forward on her heels, something... _oh god_, Rodney realizes. That's what he does when he's solved a problem. He's rubbing off on Teyla and - wow, okay. _Bad choice of words there, McKay._

Teyla's speaking, he realizes, and tunes back in just in time to hear her say, "So you see, by doing so, Doctor Zelenka and I have managed to improve the efficiency of the zero point module by twenty-four percent!"

John's lips quiver as if he's trying to hold in a laugh and Rodney loses the battle with his already flimsy internal editor as he blurts out to Teyla, "I've never been more attracted to you than right at this moment."

Teyla just raises an eyebrow and Rodney feels himself flush. John's straightening next to him, all traces of mirth gone from his face, and Rodney really needs to leave. He stands, grabbing a data pad and pointing over his shoulder.

"I'll just be... over - the mess... problem with..." He trails off as he turns tail and hurries out of the lab.

...

Rodney wonders how things could get possibly get more confusing, and then, as he sits down at the team's usual table the next morning for breakfast, he curses himself for tempting fate or karma or _whatever_ because John is sitting there, ignoring his food (not that out of the ordinary, really) and working on... _god help me_, Rodney thinks as he gets a good look at the math spread out in front of Sheppard.

"That's a Millennium Problem!" he blurts out, pointing at the equations and numbers with an accusatory finger.

John rolls his eyes but doesn't actually look all that annoyed – he actually seems kind of pleased, which is just plain weird – and says, "Duh, McKay. You're not the only one around here with _degrees_ you know."

Rodney gapes open-mouthed at John, who is lewdly sucking on the end of his Bic pen, and Ronon plops down beside Rodney, stealing his almost-blueberry muffin and shoving half of it in his mouth.

Rodney looks at him through dazed eyes and says, "Let me guess - you're _thisclose_ to curing cancer?"

Ronon continues to eat and says, with a shrug, "Nah, I'm just re-reading _The Iliad_. It really speaks to me."

Rodney puts his forehead down against the table and lets out a quiet whimper.

...

Since they're on stand-down for the foreseeable future now, and because Rodney is obviously being punished for something he's done, Ronon and John both take to joining Teyla in the lab. Ronon sits quietly in a corner for hours, munching happily on apple-like fruit from PX3-4R4 and reading (he even has _glasses_ which Rodney tries not to think about too much), and John joins Radek and Teyla at the white board, working on improving the productivity of the city's systems with the smallest strain on the ZedPM.

Rodney spends a lot of time hovering behind them, confused and wildly aroused, wringing his hands and wondering, for the hundredth time, what he did to deserve this.

It all comes to a head about a week after the team has started to hang out in the lab, Zelenka apparently fed up with Rodney's inability to do anything but stare at John and Teyla in turn, with a dumbfounded look on his face. He shoos them out on a Wednesday afternoon, swearing in Czech as he locks the door behind them.

Rodney beats on the door, yelling, "This is my lab! You can't throw me out!" but Zelenka just pushes his glasses up on his nose, implacable, and walks away.

Rodney lets out a dejected little whimper and turns to face his teammates, at a loss. Ronon has his book (_Little Women_ this time) tucked under his arm, glasses hooked in the front of his shirt. He looks at Teyla and bumps her shoulder with his wrist.

"Wanna spar?" he asks and she smiles, nodding.

"I would very much like that, Ronon. But," she pauses, her cheeks flushing - and wait, Rodney thinks. Teyla's _blushing_. "I must insist that it is a shortened session as I have made arrangements to dine with Evan tonight."

Ronon and John both smirk while Rodney's mouth flops open in disbelief; he barely registers it when Ronon and Teyla head off in the direction of the gym. He turns to John and points at their retreating backs.

"Evan? Lorne? Evan Lorne? Major Lorne? He and Teyla – Teyla – Lorne," he sputters out and John smiles, not unkindly, and grabs Rodney by the arm, tugging him towards the nearest transporter. Rodney trips over his own two feet and looks up at John, a little lost, which hasn't been that unusual for him since all this started.

"It's their first date, Rodney, cut them some slack, okay?" John says as they step inside the transporter, hitting a spot near their quarters on the map. When they re-materialize, John starts speaking again. "Think Lorne's always had a thing for her and he's been trying to give her space since everything with – since. Well, you know."

Rodney nods dumbly and, when John starts nudging him to sit down, takes in his surroundings. He says, a bit dumbly, "We're in your quarters."

He sits heavily on John's bed and frowns, wondering what's going on. John plops down beside him, and Rodney turns and looks at him for the first time in a long time – really looks at John and _wow_, "Wow, really?" he whispers as John leans in, cupping a hand around Rodney's nape.

John smirks, still speaking as he presses their lips together in a kiss, "Really, really."


End file.
